Now I See
by Ezzie Valentine
Summary: While paying a visit to the hospital, Squall sees something in his young fighting partner that he can't live without. Written for the Revelation contest in the Squffielove community on livejournal. bad summary


Now I See  
By Ezri-Candy

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See disclaimer at the end of the story...  
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It had been one year since Sora sealed Kingdom Hearts and over that time, the relationship between the gunblade master and the ninja had changed. Squall no longer corrected her for calling him Squall and he had become more civil to her. He had found that he truly did care about the lilac-eyed girl and even came to cherish her sunny demeanor, which, during the time that the heartless reigned terror on the citizens of Traverse town, had driven him crazy.

Sometimes the feelings that he had for the young woman were so intense it made him feel weak. It confused him greatly and made him feel awkward around her, but he wouldn't show it. Instead, he pushed those feelings aside, and went about business as usual, telling himself that it was nothing more than friendship for the ninja that was causing this.

The russet-haired man cupped his hands under the running faucet and splashed cool water on his face. Squall grabbed the white towel that sat on the counter top and dried the small beads of water from his face. He looked to the mirror and stared into the azure eyes of his sleep-deprived doppelganger.

"Squall, hurry up! We gotta get back up to the hospital!" Yuffie's excited voice floated to him from the living area of the green room.

He smiled as he pictured her bounce in the bed, waiting for him with her trademark grin plastered on her face. Exiting the bathroom, he was not surprised to see her doing exactly that. The young ninja smiled at him and he took a deep breath as his heart rate increased at the sight.

"Come on man, we're already thirty minutes late!" She said, grabbing his large hand in her small one and dragging him from the hotel.

"Yuffie, calm down. They aren't going anywhere." He stated in an amused tone.

She gave him a slight glare over her shoulder as she pulled him through the second district. "I know, but I really, really want to see!"

He allowed himself to be dragged, but did not increase his pace. Yuffie dropped his hand and stuck her tongue out at him before running the rest of the way to the small hospital in the third district. He allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips before continuing the short trek to the hospital.  
  
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Squall entered the hospital and made his way up to the second floor where Riku, Sora, and Cid were talking in a small lounge. He gave them a nod in greeting and glanced around the room…no Yuffie.

"If you're looking for Yuffs, she's already inside." Cloud said from behind him.

The brunette turned to the man behind him. Cloud looked dead on his feet as he clutched a cup of coffee with the glove he used to cover his claw, and wiped his tired eyes with the other. Yes, he was exhausted, but a smile remained on his face.

Bringing a hand up, the gunblade wielder clapped Cloud on the shoulder before giving him a slight smile. "Congratulations Cloud."

"Thanks. You can go on in. I'll be there in a few minutes." He said, gesturing to the door.

Squall stepped in the door and glanced at the women in the large room. Shera and Kairi were standing next to the hospital bed chatting with its smiling, pink clad occupant, Aerith. She looked up and fixed her brilliant emerald eyes on him.

"Hi Squall." The former flower girl said as she tried to adjust her position on the bed, but winced at little in pain.

He quickly walked forward helped her into a better position. "Better?" She nodded as took her hand in his. "Congratulations Aerith." He gave her a hand a gentle squeeze as he smiled at her.

"Thank you." She said before Kairi and Shera pulled her back into their conversation.

"Squall." A voice whispered from the right.

Yuffie sat off to the side of the room, staring down at the tiny bundle in her arms as she rocked in the rocking chair. He quietly padded over to her and glanced down at Cloud and Aerith's newborn son.

He was a handsome child. His eye were locked on the face of the ninja that held him, revealing a exact copy of Aerith's vibrant green eyes and a few fine strands of very light blonde hair had managed to escape from underneath the blue cap that covered his head. Yuffie looked up, her violet eyes, wet with tears locked on those of his blue. She gave a small chuckle. "He has Aerith's eye color but the blonde unruly hair and totally place him as Cloud's."

He smirked at the truth of her words. "Yes it does. What did they decide to name him?"

Another tear made its way down her cheek as she stoked the palm child's tiny hand with her thumb. "This little guy here is Vincent Strife."

Squall also felt his heart pull at the name. Vincent was the name of their good friend, Vincent Valentine, whom they had grown up with in Hollow Bastion. He was like a big brother to both Aerith and Yuffie, always protecting them and caring for the two girls. Squall, Cloud and Vincent had done everything together, and where you would find one, the other two were never far. When the heartless attacked, no one knew of his fate and to this day, Squall and the others hoped that the dark haired gunman hand made it out of there alive.

He removed his glove and placed his large finger in the baby's palm, watching as the tiny hand closed around his finger tightly.

Yuffie giggled. "Squallie, I think this little one is gonna give you and Cloudy a run for your munny when he gets old enough to fight…just look at that grip."

Squall nodded as the hand relaxed round his fingers. He took a few steps back as Cloud entered with some soup for Aerith. The baby became a little fussy as Yuffie held him.

Aerith looked over to the ninja. "Yuffs, do you want me to take him?"

"Nah, its okay Aerith. You rest." She said as she began rocking once more in the chair.

Brown hair fell into Squall's eyes as he leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest as he watched the ninja. He couldn't take his eyes off her and his heart thudded against his ribs as she began to sing a Wutain lullaby that she once told him that her mom would sing to her, to the quieting baby.

Pictures began to flash in his mind of him holding Yuffie's hand as they stood on a beach, thumbing the ring she wore on her left hand, of Yuffie sitting in a rocking chair, holding a child with brown hair and lilac colored eyes, and of himself carrying a giggling toddler on his shoulders as the small ninja walked happily at his side.

It was then that all the confusion that he had been feeling about the young ninja had cleared and everything fell into place. He loved Yuffie and realized that there was no other living person that he could possibly love more.

Yuffie's song ended and she gazed up, staring at the man whose eyes locked on hers. The look in his eyes was intense and loving at the same time. She never thought she'd see that type of gaze in Sqaull's eyes, let alone, have it directed at her. She felt a blush rise in her cheeks but was quite bemused by his behavior.

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Squall and Yuffie were slowly making their way back to their room in the hotel, both were deep in thought as they climbed the stairs. Yuffie's shoe caught the edge of the step and she started to fall, but was stopped by a firm but gentle, ungloved hand closing around her arm.

"Are you okay Yuffie?"

She was extremely embarrassed by her clumsiness. "Yeah. Thanks Squall."

The indigo-eyed man nodded, but didn't release her arm as they entered the hotel. Again, that struck the ninja as odd, but she wasn't about to complain about it. Here, she had the man that she had loved for long as she could remember guiding her back to their shared room.

He guided her to the bed and she sat heavily and smiled at him. "I'm so happy for them. It seem like just yesterday that I was standing with Aer in that horrible pink dress, but that was ten months ago!" She said, recalling Aerith's very pink and white wedding.

"Yes." He said quietly as he paced around back and forth across the floor.

Yuffie's eyebrow rose as she watched him for a moment. He looked like he was in the midst of a intense internal debate. "Squall, what's wrong and don't you dare tell me nothing."

He stopped and stared at her with same intensity he had at the hospital before walking over and sitting with her one their bed. "Yuffie…"

"Yeah?"

He took a breath and looked at the door to the red room to avoid eye contact. "How do you feel…about me?"

She was stunned at his question. 'Did I hear him right?' She thought to herself.

He remained silent, allowing her to think. He knew that he had caught her unprepared with his question. He heard her mumbling to her self as she thought.

"Uh…I-I…" she stuttered.

"Yuffie?" he prompted gently.

"I like you…a lot." She looked down at her sneakers. "Maybe more than I should." The ninja whispered.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because…you don't feel the same about me…"

He pulled his eyes from the door he had been staring at and turned to face her fully. "I don't think that I have ever said that Yuffs."

She stared at him…and kept staring, before she brought her hand up and placed it on his forehead. "No…not sick…"

He laughed. "Yuffie, I'm fine."

"I don't understand."

"Yuffie. For quite a while now, I've been having feelings that I didn't really know how to interpret them. Seeing you today, sitting there holding the baby and seeing the smile on your face made it all too clear."

Squall clasped her hands and his. "Yuffie, I've fallen for you. I can't believe that it has taken me so long to realize that I love you."

Yuffie said nothing as she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. He felt her body shake as his arms closed around her. Tears began to soak through his white shirt and waited for her sobs to subside.

She pulled back and smiled to the man who held her in her arms. "I love you too Squallie."

He brought his hand up, cupping her cheek as he ran his thumb across her lips. Yuffie's eyes closed as he brought his lips down, kissing her lips gently.

They didn't speak as Yuffie relaxed in his embrace, falling asleep in his strong arms. Squall turned slightly to lean against the headboard and pulled her small form into his lap. She snuggled against him but didn't wake. He had never felt more complete.

The gunblade specialist kissed the silky chocolate strands that adorned the top of his ninja's head, before falling into a deep slumber with the one he loved in his arms.

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The End  
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AN: This was an entry for the 'Revelation' contest at the Squffie Love community on It's a great community and the members there are excellent! Come join us, we love new members!

Just to let you all know, I will be continuing this soon, but for now it will stand as a one-shot. Please let me know what you think about this story and if ya'll think that I should continue or leave it as is.

I don't own KH, it belongs to Square-Enix and Disney. I just take the characters out for a spin.

Flames will be used to roast marshmallows on the camping trip I'm taking with Squall, Vincent, Riku, Cloud and Sephy…Lucky me!! Special thanks to Jupiter, Deplora and Pingpong…you're all welcome to join me and the boys for s'mores!


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